Hull on course for crash cuts

Figures for 2001 show a dramatic fall in the number of people injured on Hull’s roads. Last year 1,225 people were injured on the city’s roads, compared with 1,843 in 1990. Fatal and serious injuries totalled 134 - down from 326 in 1990.

Current government targets call for a 10 per cent cut in overall casualties and a 40 per cent cut in fatal and serious injuries by 2010 based on averages from the mid-1990s. Measured against these targets Hull has already achieved a 14 per cent total reduction in road deaths and a 35 per cent reduction in the number of seriously injured casualties.

"While we welcome the improvements we have already achieved the city council has set itself challenging targets for the end of this decade," said councillor Barry Dibnah, cabinet portfolio holder for transport. "We want to see crash injuries reduced to less than 1,000 a year with particular emphasis on cutting the number of children hurt on our roads. To achieve this we plan to build on our successes with 20mph zones, cycling facilities and the road safety education programme."

The crash statistics for 2001 are the best yet recorded in Hull, with the biggest falls in pedestrian and two-wheeler casualties. The city now has over 100 miles of 20 mph limit - far more than any other local authority in the UK - and one of the best developed networks of cycle routes in the country.